Lack of leadership stifling Caricom integration, says Gonsalves

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) -- St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves says a lack of leadership is holding back integration within the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

In expressing his frustration with the pace of integration within the 15-member regional grouping, Gonsalves said the problem lies with the political directorate.

"We need serious leadership in Caricom," he told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) ahead of the grouping's annual summit in Montego Bay, Jamaica from July 4-7.

"And I say this without any water in my mouth, we have not been having serious leadership in Caricom," Gonsalves added.

However, the Vincentian leader refused to apportion blame on any specific regional colleague.

Gonsalves, who has been in the vineyard of regional integration for over 40 years, said he believes that Caricom still has a lot to learn and that it can start by looking at the progress being made by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) that recently signed off on a new treaty, establishing an economic union within the sub-region.

Caricom countries have been working towards a fully functional Single Market and Economy (CSME) by the year 2015 but have suffered several setbacks as they move towards that goal.

The St Vincent and the Grenadines prime minister pointed out that OECS countries have positioned themselves ahead of their regional neighbours with the recent signing of The Revised Treaty of Basseterre Establishing the Economic Union.

The new OECS treaty provides for improved governance arrangements and deepened functional cooperation among member states, with Gonsalves pointing out that there are provisions outlining the economic union "which goes beyond the CSME".

"It's easy to go beyond the CSME simply because we already have a common currency and a single court," he said.

Gonsalves insisted that the OECS Economic Union will serve to strengthen and not undermine the CSME process, even while Caricom states are being invited to be part of the sub-regional initiative.

He said the OECS union "provides an avenue to go forward with many more states to do deeper integration and those who do not want yet to come to the deepest forms, that's fine. We have connections still with them at another level of integration".

The upcoming Caricom Summit is expected to take forward the programme for the CSME.

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